The Three Kings
by Sibylle1
Summary: In early 1847, a winter's night on the Ponderosa leads to an unexpected gift. Prequel


**The Three Kings**

"Adam, are you asleep?"

"Yes."

"Adam?"

"No."

"Adam, please!"

"What do you want, Hoss? Why aren't you asleep? It's … close to midnight."

"I can't sleep."

"You ate all those cookies. Eating so many sweets before bed causes stomachaches!"

"My belly never aches from eating cookies, Adam! Something woke me up."

"Whatever could wake you, you sleepy bear." Adam grumbled into his pillow.

"You're mean! I am awake after all!"

Adam gave up all hope of getting back to sleep. His ten year old brother was planted in front of his bed and showed no signs of planning to leave. "Sit down, Hoss," he sighed, as he reached for the blanket that lay at the end of his bed and passed it to his brother. "What's the matter?"

Hoss wrapped the blanket around himself as he answered, "I've been hearing Molly whine for a long time."

"Your dog? Did you let her in the house? You know how Ma feels about having animals inside."

"No, I didn't. But I can hear her. She's been whining an awful lot!"

"That's impossible. You can't hear her from the barn. Maybe barking but not whining. You must be imagining it."

"But it woke me up!"

"Then you dreamed it. Get back to bed, Hoss, and go to sleep."

"But I did hear it, Adam, really!" Hoss insisted, raising his voice.

"Ssht! You'll wake everyone up!"

Just then they heard the padding of bare feet and a small, touseled figure in a nightshirt peered into the half open doorway. "I can't sleep anymore, Adam. There's a bright light in my room." The small boy scrubbed his eyes with his fists.

"A bright light? It must be the moon, Little Joe, or else Hoss's loud talking woke you up. See what you did, Hoss?"

"It wasn't Hoss. There's a star outside my window, a star with prongs and a long tail. An 'omet!"

"Joe, get under the covers. It's the fifth of January, you will catch a cold." Adam lifted up the bedclothes and his little brother slid quickly under them. "Oh, your feet are cold, Joe," Adam gasped. With a sigh of resignation he tried to make space for them all on the crowded bed and went on, "Joe, you were dreaming about the book Ma read to you. There was a picture of a comet over the crib of the baby Jesus, but real stars don't have any points." The sixteen year old thought over how to explain what stars were without confusing his four year old brother. "Look, Joe. Stars are only points of light. People draw them with fancy shapes to make them seem prettier. Stars with tails exist but they're very rare. Except for shooting stars."

"I saw it, Adam. An 'omet with prongs and a big tail. It is still outside."

"Nonsense, Joe."

"I can show you!"

"Really, Joe? I always wanted to see a comet," Hoss scrambled out of bed and pulled open the window curtain.

Joe darted after him. "I'll show it to you, Hoss!" And the two brothers stood at the window staring outside. The night wasn't very cold so only the edges of the windowpanes were frosted.

"I can only see the Big Dipper and Orion," stated Hoss after a while.

"Of course you can't see a comet, Hoss. They're very rare-Halley's comet comes only every eighty years..."

"But I have seen it," Little Joe unblinkingly broke into the scientific explanations of his brother. "My window looks in the other direction – to the barn. There you can see it clearly."

"Joe and Hoss, I won't hear any more about such nonsense. Now go back to your beds and let me get some sleep!"

Joe and Hoss looked at each other.

"Alright, Adam."

"Good night, Adam!"

Adam watched his brothers closing the door deliberately and pulled his bedcover back up around his shoulders.

oooooooo

Fifteen minutes later-well past midnight, he was sure-Adam was still wide awake, and uneasy. As the oldest, he was used to feeling responsible for his little brothers. Had they really gone back to their beds? he wondered. He had a bad feeling about that. Determinedly he swung his naked legs out of bed and searched for his slippers with his feet. Shuddering, he pulled on his robe and left his room.

Just as he'd suspected, neither Hoss nor Joe was in bed. Cautiously Adam crept down the stairs, hoping desperately that their parents wouldn't wake up.

The great room was empty, but the house door was slightly open, and footsteps in the freshly fallen snow led to the barn where Adam could see a flickering light. Surely Hoss wouldn't have taken a candle into the barn? Naked flames in the barn were dangerous and would make Pa furious. Without hesitating Adam run to the barn, forgetting that he had on only slippers and a thin robe over his nightshirt.

He opened the door and followed the glow inside, thankful to notice that it came from a oil lamp, not a candle. The relief lasted only until he saw that Hoss was crying. "Hoss?" Adam said in a low voice.

"Molly is dying, Adam. She must be hurt. There's blood and she … she can't get up."

Hoss was kneeling on the floor in the empty stall, bent over his black mongrel as she licked his hands. Little Joe stood next to Hoss, frozen like stone, staring down at his brother and the dog that he'd known his whole life.

Adam knelt down in the straw too. The dog softly wagged her tail to greet him. "Hoss, please, give me the lamp, so I can see where she is hurt," he said in a shaking voice. Even for him it was no small thing if Molly was badly injured. He held the lamp in one hand and with the other he felt over the dog carefully. What was it there at her abdomen? Very gently, Adam probed the suspicious spot, than reached in more confidently. His face brightened up as he pulled out what he'd found. It was small, blind, and had a cream colored hide which would soon be softly furred.

"She isn't dying, Hoss, she's having puppies." Adam held the little newborn out to Hoss, who looked astonished at first, but quickly relaxed as his round face shone with happiness.

"What have you done to yourself, Hoss?" Adam inquired abruptly. "Your face is all black."

"Black? Don't know." Hoss shifted the puppy into one hand and swiped the other across his face, smearing it even more.

"It looks like ashes or soot."

"Soot? I haven't touched any."

"Were you over by the fireplace?"

"Oh yes, I used an ember and a bit of kindling to light the lamp. I had to blow. Are there more puppies, Adam?"

The older boy felt around Molly again and brought out two more puppies, a second cream colored one and another black like its mother but with little white paws.

"There are three, Hoss."

"Could I hold one too?" begged a little voice now.

"Be very careful, Joe. You mustn't squeeze it, just hold it loosely," Adam told his brother.

The little boy held his breath when his big brother gave him the small puppy and tried not to grip the tiny thing too tightly, looking at Adam to see if he did it right. When his brother smiled at him he proudly stroked the little puppy in his hand with one finger.

oooooooo

Ben ran down the stairs. Incredibly, not one of his boys was in bed! Strange noises had awakened him and he had decided to make sure all was well. Cautiously he had tiptoed through the second floor carrying a lamp turned low and his gun until he noticed that all his sons were missing. Could they be robbing Hop Sings supplies together? Ben deliberated. He remembered how he and his brother sometimes had snitched cookies before Christmas at night. But wasn't Adam too old now for getting into mischief with his little brothers, and shouldn't even Hoss have eaten enough cookies by January? All the same, he had heard something from the kitchen. He ventured into the dark kitchen, but it was empty.

"Ben? What are you doing?"

He turned around. "I didn't want to wake you, darling, but I'm looking for the boys. They aren't here. I hope they didn't go outside!"

"I think there is a light in the barn," said Marie after a look through the kitchen window.

"How dare they go running around outside in the middle of the night! But I will tell them something for sure!" Ben fumed as he grabbed his coat and boots. Leaving his lamp on the kitchen table, he shoved his way through the frozen kitchen door. Marie followed close behind him.

oooooooo

"Do you think Ma and Hop Sing will be mad because we cut off some of our Sunday roast, Adam?"

"No. And if they do it's too late anyway. Done is done."

"We're only sharing our portion with her, right? And Molly needs good food now!"

Entering the barn quietly through the half-opened door, Ben and Marie overheard Adam and Hoss's debate. Marie laid a hand on Ben's shoulder and they silently followed the light.

"Can I give Molly something from my portion, too?" asked Joe and Hoss gave him a small piece of meat from a white enamelled bowl that he held on his lap.

"Adam, the meat isn't too spicy? Hop Sing always puts it in that brown sauce."

"No, we washed it and we also brought enough water for Molly. It's alright, Hoss."

Ben and Marie stood in the shadows silently watching the three boys sitting around the dog in the straw, feeding her pieces of meat, and cuddling her puppies. Marie looked up to Ben and, shaking her head, pointed towards the entrance. Ben nodded and followed his wife out of the barn and back to the house.

"I don't know, Ben, but I couldn't bear it if you had scolded them. It was so peaceful," whispered Marie as she fumbled her way through the front door.

Ben put his arms around her and gave her a long kiss. After that he guided her gently to the settee where they both sat in the dark huddled against each other waiting for the return of their sons.

After about a quarter of an hour they heard steps and low voices before the door opened.

First came Adam, wearing his robe and carrying the oil lamp, allowing Marie and Ben to make out the little procession. Adam held the door for Joe who had on Adam's winter coat, dragging behind him like a train an empty pitcher in his hand. After that came Hoss, wrapped up in a blanket and holding the white bowl. His face was now evenly grey and he had somehow contrived to turn his hands and forearms, where they poked out from under the blanket, gray as well. All three were on tiptoe and managed to be surprisingly quiet. Adam bolted the door diligently.

"Hi, you three!"

The boys froze in their tracks at the sound. Joe's hand went unwillingly in search of Adam's, and even Hoss took a step back against his older brother. Adam squared his shoulders and began, " Pa, we.."

His father interrupted, "How many puppies did Molly have?"

Adam looked surprised but answered promptly, "Three."

"All boys," added Hoss.

"Like us," beamed Joe and ran into the open arms of his mother.

Adam glanced at his father doubtfully but relaxed as his Pa, smiling, winked at him.

Suddenly the kitchen door opened and Hop Sing entered the room carrying a tray with six mugs of hot cocoa.

"All lunning in night. Too cold. Not sleep. Cocoa will make warm again and sleepy. Drink quick and then back in bed!" Hop Sing scolded them while he distributed the cups before taking the last one himself.

"Thank you, Hop Sing!" could be heard a few times before silence settled down while they all enjoyed the hot sweet liquid.

"Have you named the puppies yet?" asked Ben after a while.

All three boys shook their heads.

"I know some," said Marie softly, smiling at each boy and then at Ben. "What do you think about Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar?"


End file.
